Braves win World Series thanks to power, pitching in Game 6
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
The Atlanta Braves fought through injuries, a tough National League East, a stacked playoff bracket and the best team in the American League and on Tuesday night they can call themselves World Series champions.
For the first time since 1995, the Braves won the World Series with a Game 6 rout of the Houston Astros 7-0. The Braves won the series 4-2.
Atlanta, much like in Game 5, started off strong.
Jorge Soler came up in the third inning with two outs and Ozzie Albies and Eddie Rosario on base. He battled with Houston starting pitcher Luis Garcia in an eight-pitch at-bat that ended with a moon shot to left field and over the train tracks at Minute Maid Park.
Atlanta Braves' Jorge Soler celebrates a three-run home run during the third inning in Game 6 of baseball's World Series between the Houston Astros and the Atlanta Braves Tuesday, Nov. 2, 2021, in Houston. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
The home run put the Braves up three runs and the team never looked back.
Atlanta added to their leads in the fifth inning. Dansby Swanson homered to left field off one of the signs just above the seats. The two-run homer gave Atlanta a 5-0 lead. Freddie Freeman added one more run in that inning with a double to score Soler.
For good measure, the reigning National League MVP Freeman hit a solo home run off Ryan Stanek.
"I usually try to stay the same throughout the game. That's kinda just my M.O. Everybody knows that but … hitting a home run in a World Series is pretty cool. I saw all my teammates outside that, I saw my family just jumping up and down so emotion came out in that moment," Freeman said of the home run.
While the ball was popping off the bat, the Braves got an immensely clutch performance from Max Fried.
It looked like the Astros were going to get on Fried early. The young pitcher allowed six runs on seven hits in five innings of work in Game 2 and in the first inning of Game 6, Fried allowed Jose Altuve to single and a defensive mishap allowed Michael Brantley to make it to first base.
The Brantley play became a source of controversy because it didn't appear the outfielder stepped on first base and instead stepped on Fried's ankle.
With two on and no outs, Fried came back and struck out Carlos Correa, got Yordan Alvarez to ground out and struck out Yuli Gurriel. Huge.
Fried buckled down after that. He allowed just four hits and struck out six in six innings.
"To be honest, it was one of those things where I just didn't want the inning to get out of hand the way that it did in the last outing. A couple of groundball base hits and the next thing you know it's four runs on the board. It was basically just one of those moments where I said I want to be able to try and stop it and just let everything that I had and was luckily able to get out of it," Fried said.
The night shift would then take over for the Braves. Tyler Matzek would strike out four Braves batters then turn the ball over to Will Smith to close out the game.
The Braves win their first World Series since 1995 and their second since the team moved from Milwaukee before the start of the 1966 season. The franchise's history dates back to 1876 when they were the Boston Red Stockings. The team was also known as the Boston Beaneaters, Boston Braves, Boston Bees and Milwaukee Braves. The franchise now has a total of four World Series titles.
Tags
Who is online
449 visitors
They are World Series champs for the fourth time in franchise history and just the second since moving to Atlanta in 1966.
Good for the braves. I thought the games themselves were a little disappointing, I hoped for closer games.
They certainly earned it. Congratulations to the Braves for finally winning the World Series after almost three decades.
Grew up watching the Braves on TBS, and I've been a fan since. (Could also watch the Sox, but never got into them) Good for the Braves.
The thing that sticks out to me most about the series, and the LCS, is how much the Astros (excepting Brantley) swing around the ball. Last out of the series...Gurriel rolls over one. Even with a shift on, and the pitcher throwing outside, they swing around the ball. That's not limited to the Astros, but man, they do it up and downtime line-up.